2 brothers modest about heroism in blaze

Firefighters and civilians honored for bravery

After being commended for rescuing their elderly neighbor from her burning home and fighting the blaze with a garden hose, the Phengvath brothers still don't feel like heroes.

"It's just something I did and I'm glad I helped out," said Harris Phengvath, 29. "I think it's just our upbringing. We saw trouble and we just took off."

The pair were awarded Civilian Medals of Valor by the Honolulu Fire Department yesterday in a commendation ceremony.

In addition, two firefighters, three residents and a company were honored for various rescues dating back to August.

"There are times when assistance from the public is very helpful," said Fire Chief Kenneth Silva. "The bottom line is when you were needed, you responded and made a difference in our community."

The Phengvaths rescued an elderly woman from a blaze on Kuliouou Road on Oct. 15, the day of the earthquakes and islandwide power failure.

Peter Phengvath, 31, pounded on the front door once they saw the blaze lighting up the dark neighborhood.

"If no one came in another minute, we were gonna knock it down," Peter said.

The pair saved Yukie Kiyota but could not save her 81-year-old sister, Masae, who died in the blaze. Firefighters said a candle caused the fire.

The Phengvaths said they did not think twice to help, they just felt the adrenaline rush through their bodies.

"You just appreciate life more because things like this, you never thought would happen to you," Harris Phengvath said.

Firefighters and civilians honored for bravery

The following received certificates of commendation yesterday from the Honolulu Fire Department:

» Firefighter James Richmond: On Aug. 1, Richmond saw a structure fire near Waimea Bay and stopped to help the Sunset Beach company. He donned his personal equipment and helped fight the fire for two hours. He is assigned to the Hauula Fire Station.

» Daniel Dorn and Daniel Zimbra: The pair saw a swimmer clinging to a channel buoy off Kaiser's surf break on Aug. 4. They called for help, paddled to the swimmer and directed rescuers to their location.

» Clean Island Council: Employees of the company helped firefighters by providing absorbent materials for an oil spill on Oct. 20. The spill came from electrical transformers on Sand Island Access Road.

» Samuel M. Saffery IV: He helped an elderly woman who fell and injured herself while walking in Palama on Dec. 19. Saffery called 911 and treated the woman's injuries until medical personnel arrived.

» Firefighter Cedric K.H. Chang: On Jan. 7, Chang entered a stream in Hauula and removed sand and debris that had accumulated under a bridge before the water damaged homes. He is a tanker driver at the Hauula Fire Station.

The awardees of the Civilian Medals of Valor are:

» Peter and Harris Phengvath: The two rescued an elderly woman from a structure fire next to their home on Oct. 15. The brothers also ran to the back of the house to fight the fire with a garden hose.